Growing up in the 1960s, I hated the All-Star Game. No, not because it didn’t “count.” I was a Baltimore Orioles fan, and I rooted big time for Brooks Robinson and the American League. And every year I was disappointed.

The National League won 12 of 13 All-Star Games in the ’60s, the lone loss coming in one of those years when two were played. The ‘70s brought more of the same, with the NL winning nine of 10. Indeed, Junior Circuit seemed like a fitting label for the AL.

The MLB power scales are shifting to the National League, which has won four of the past five World Series. (AP Photo)

In the late ’80s, the cycle began to shift and the AL took off. It won 18 (and tied one) of the 22 All-Star Games between 1988 and 2009. The AL also began to dominate interleague play in the mid-2000s and has “won” that part of the schedule for nine consecutive seasons. The NL actually regressed in 2012 with its poorest showing (32 games under .500) since 2008.

So with all these numbers stacked in the AL’s favor, why do I believe the NL again has become the superior league?

It is ruling the World Series

Like everyone outside of the Bay Area, I thought Justin Verlander would dominate the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 and the Detroit Tigers would roll from there. Uh, not quite. The Giants knocked out Verlander after four innings—his shortest start of the season—en route to an impressive four-game sweep during which they trailed in only three innings.

The championship was San Francisco’s second in three years and the NL’s fourth in five years. Not since winning four in a row from 1979-82 has the NL enjoyed such a successful streak.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox aren’t what they used to be

For much of the past decade, it seemed like the Yankees and Red Sox alternated being the game’s No. 1 and No. 2 teams. Not anymore. While ESPN isn’t likely to stop over-hyping their meetings, the rivalry has lost some of its luster as the aging Yankees insist they are trimming payroll and the Red Sox continue to pick up the pieces from their September 2011 collapse.

The Washington Nationals hit the lottery (twice)

Not that we believe they wanted to finish with the majors’ worst record, but the Nationals sure picked the right years to stink. After losing 102 games in 2008, they were rewarded with the No. 1 pick in the 2009 draft and took Stephen Strasburg. Their 103 losses in 2009 gave them the No. 1 pick again in 2010, and they selected Bryce Harper.

In two years, Washington acquired two of the top prospects of the past generation. In that duo’s first year together in the majors, the Nationals finished with the best record. That doesn’t figure to be the last time, either.

The Dodgers are rising

At least their payroll is. Since the ownership change last summer, the Dodgers have more than doubled their payroll and are virtually assured of passing the Yankees as the majors’ top-spending team.

Unlike the Yankees, the Dodgers aren’t looking to cut back anytime soon. The club remains close to signing a local TV deal that could change the financial landscape of the game, leaving the Dodgers with enough revenue to buy a championship no matter how much one costs.

As the Dodgers exercise their financial might, their rivals will be pressured into spending more and more in an attempt to keep up.

The Houston Astros have moved

When the worst team in the majors switches leagues, the league from which it departs immediately becomes stronger. Now the AL gets to kick around the Astros, who had better get used to finishing in last place. The NL Central teams, meanwhile, will miss those 18 games they played against Houston every year.

The power rankings have shifted

Yes, rankings mean nothing and plenty of offseason remains for teams such as the Texas Rangers to right their rosters. Still, to see these rankings so top-heavy with NL teams represents quite a turnaround from the first Power Rankings of 2012 when the Los Angeles Angels, Rangers, Tigers and Yankees occupied the top four spots.

Change has come.

The fans have spoken

Including the Astros, the bottom eight teams in attendance this past season all resided in the AL. Apparently, fans know who isn’t worth watching. And that has to say something about the quality of play in the AL, doesn’t it?

We won’t know, of course, until teams actually start playing games. But for now, the NL appears to be on the rise. Even an old AL fan can see that.